Edward 'Ed' Knudsen, who served with the U.S. Marine Corps during two combat deployment missions in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, is Rapid City's Veteran of the Month for March.

Edward 'Ed' Knudsen, who served with the U.S. Marine Corps during two combat deployment missions in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, is Rapid City's Veteran of the Month for March.

Our featured Face in the Crowd this week has been employed with the American Heart Association for 18 years as the regional director. Robin Albers is representing the west side of the state with great passion and drive for the organization.

Robin’s background in nonprofits, communications, and health helps her in her role. She’s always been impressed with the mission of the American Heart Association, which is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke. The mission advocates for healthy communities, improved quality of care for heart and stroke patients, research, and healthy initiatives and online tools.

But it wasn’t until she had a life-altering episode that she was truly drawn close to the organization. She had stroke-like symptoms and ended up in the hospital for about a week, giving her a valuable lesson to keep on top of her health.

Robin was also excited to be a part of the movement that worked with the South Dakota EMS Association to pass legislation. The law requires high school to be students trained in hands-only CPR, which adds 8,000 lifesavers to South Dakota each year.

Robin advocates for knowing your family history, knowing your health numbers, and having a physical examination once a year. If something feels off, get it checked out and know the symptoms of heart issues and complications.

You can find Robin planning events in the community, like the Ignite Heart Brunch, Heart Walk, Jump Rope for Heart and the Heart Ball. All events raise funds and awareness for the mission of the American Heart Association.

The annual Heart Ball benefiting the American Heart Association is on March 3 with a “Wizard of Oz” theme.